Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract The final chapter summarizes the findings of the book and relates them to broader debates about non-hierarchical institutions, processes, and outcomes. It presents an analytical approach that builds on, but develops, contemporary debates in regulatory governance, itself a field drawing from law, public administration, and political science. The framework put forward differs from current literatures by adopting a broader definition of non-hierarchical governance, one that includes agency and actual policy processes. It suggests that scope conditions for non-hierarchical governance are not multipolar distributions of legal power, and not just functional demands, but also political opposition. It suggests that non-hierarchical governance is likely to be self-reinforcing and thus sustainable, thanks to both functional and political drivers, which bolster one another. It argues that non-hierarchical governance affects policy outcomes through a range of mechanisms rather than any single one and highlights that positive and negative mechanisms can be compatible rather than mutually exclusive. Finally, it discusses promising avenues for testing the conclusions from the book’s case studies more widely, expanding their scope both within and beyond the European Union.